Thank you for this thread. Our dentist told us that DS1 has 8 cavities and I have 11. I know DS1 has a couple, 2 are on his front teeth. We filled one, the one that was obvious. Insurance covered no biggie. But DS1 had a meltdown on the second visit after they put sealants on his molars the last time. I was super shocked when they told me how many cavities I had, as I had seen a specialist about a broken tooth and a different dentist shortly before that and NO cavities were found during either exam. I know I def. have 1 or 2, but 11???

Yep, some are just out for the money. First time I took ds1 in he was 3 and they wanted to do 7 crowns and 5 fillings under general at the children's hospital.
We got a 2nd and 3rd opinion and ds only needed 2 small fillings that we were able to watch and wait to fill until he was a little older.
I was most angry that they were going to put my 3 yr old thru so much pain and misery for greed.

__________________~Jessica~Adoring wife to Chris best mommy I can be to Jackson and Weston. I CD, ERF, EBF, BW, and kept my second boy intact!

I'm so sorry you've had this experience. We are in the same boat. DD, who is 4, has been having cleanings since 2.5. She had two little spots on the front of her teeth blasted because of soft enamel, but not other issues. Then at our Jan appointment the dentist tells me she has 10 cavities. Supposedly he can only see them all on x-ray because her teeth look perfect otherwise.

I'm standing in the room completely floored! She drinks water almost exclusively, eats healthy, and practices very good dental hygiene for a four year old to include brushing and flossing every night with our help. This was absolutely devastating news to me.

They offered to fill them, but also recommended a pediatric dentist because they (a family dentist) would only do them in quadrants whereas a ped dentist could put her under general anesthesia and do them all at once. General Anesthesia for a four year old to get their teeth fixed?!?! YIKES!

I told them I needed to process the information, talk to my DH and together we would decide what we wanted to do. Fortunately I was already reading up on tooth remineralization for informational purposes, so I knew when I walked out the door we would be buying FCLO and butter oil the next day. I told hubby that I was not taking her to get 10 cavities filled. She would never sit in a dentists chair again after that experience!

We've been doing the FCLO and Butter oil for going on three full months, and I think her teeth look great. I haven't gotten a second opinion yet because I wanted to give the FCLO and Butter oil time to work. Hopefully in the next few weeks we will get in to another dentist to see what they think based on the old xrays and a new exam.

I was incredibly upset that the only option given to us was to fill the teeth. Why would our diet not be discussed. Alternatives given? If you give me the option of 10 fillings or giving up processed food, I'm walking away from my crackers tomorrow! I wish dental practices focused more on overall health and the effects of what you eat have on teeth, and not so much on performing work that will ultimately ruin your teeth in the long run I believe in fillings when absolutely necessary, but I feel they should be a last resort option.

Dentists are just like any other medical professional ..... there are good ones and bad ones.

There is no shortage of dentists, so ask around for recommendations and see if you can find one you like. It might take a while. It took us 5 dentists to finally find the one we have now that is AWESOME and who i pray never moves

I have "insiders" view of the dental world from various close friends who are dentists. There ARE dentists and dental company chains out there trying to make as much money as possible. My DH good friend actually quit one of those chains once he found up-charges for work he didn't do.... and was told "all dentists do this" but of course he wasn't going to participate. He started his own practice.

SO keep shopping. Find a place that you get a good feeling about and where you and the dentist view dental health in the same light. It's just like any other medical professional be it a OBGYN, midwife, pediatrician, etc.

That reminds me of something else, too. I wasn't allowed in the room when they did the work on her (but I was for the exam and cleaning).

They had called me this week for my appointment reminder, and I already told them thanks but no thanks.

I've heard of FCLO other places as well, so I'm definitely going to get some.

That's bunk that they won't allow you during the work. I would switch ASAP. We picked our current ped dentist office because our family dentist tried to tell me we couldn't come back with the kids. Though, DS1 got very upset during a recent filling and the dentist told him I'd have to leave the room if he didn't calm down. I kinda laughed because the only way I was leaving that room was with my son in tow.

Oh goodness! I am getting verrrrryyyyy nervous reading this!
We just changed dentists. We did use a ped. dentist in the town we used to live in, but switched because it was so far to drive.
I think we have only ever had one filling with our kids, until this new dentist!
We are now in the process of getting a total of nine(what????) cavities filled between just the two older boys.

When they told me, I was floored and now, looking back, when the one nurse brought me in to see some xrays(the only time I was allowed back there) I couldn't see anything on a lot of the things she was calling cavities.

I certainly hope I'm not being taken for a ride! We are supposed to have one more visit for fillings, I may postpone it.

Oh, and this dentist is big on using nitrous! And that is an extra $25. I told them my 11 yr. old didn't want it anymore and they said, "We don't want him to cry and be scared." He is 11!!!!!!! He has NEVER cried at the dentist.

I saw a dateline type show like this a while ago. They had one kid get 3 different exams with undercover cameras. One dentist recommended a very minor patch-up type thing like what you're describing, and one recommended 11 fillings and the other dentist was somewhere in the middle. The point being that you will get different opinions from different dentists and there are some that are trying to boost sales.

I definitely would get a second opinion even though it sucks that it probably would be an OOP expense. I'd call that first dentist and explain what happened and see if they have any affordable way to do an exam.

I see you're in Texas, there's a website where you can check out if they've ever had any disciplinary action against them. I was surprised when I was searching for a dentist just how many did. http://www.tsbde.state.tx.us/index.p...id=6&Itemid=38 Just click on the public license search and you should be able to search by name.

Oh, and Green Pastures, the company that makes the fermented cod liver oil/butter oil, has a new product that combines them with coconut oil. It's supposed to be easier to take and tastier. Also more nutritious and only a little bit more money. I ordered some last week when they had a special for 25$! I haven't gotten it yet, though.

Random/ but my DH was told he had 11 cavities by military dentist. Then next visit- different dentist? Found 1. It's weird!!

omg me too! I went a little over a year ago and was told I had cavities on all of my back teeth. Got all the ones on the top right filled, two of which needed crowns, ins lapsed and I ran out of money...anyhow, just saw a different dentist on Wed and he said I had no cavities! Makes me sooooo angry!